Cloudflare SSL Modes: Flexible, Full and Full (Strict) Differences

Cloudflare, Security & CDN 4 views Markdown

Cloudflare SSL Encryption Modes Explained

Cloudflare manages traffic between your visitors, Cloudflare edge servers, and your BiHostNet origin server. Under SSL/TLS > Overview, there are primary encryption options:

Off: No encryption. Not recommended.
Flexible: Encrypts traffic between visitor and Cloudflare, but unencrypted HTTP between Cloudflare and your server.
Full: Encrypts end-to-end; allows self-signed certificates on the origin server.
Full (Strict) - Recommended: Complete end-to-end encryption requiring a valid CA SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt or commercial SSL) on your BiHostNet hosting.

Why Does ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS Occur?

If SSL is set to Flexible, Cloudflare contacts your origin server over HTTP. If WordPress or .htaccess forces HTTPS, the server issues a 301 redirect back to HTTPS, creating an infinite redirect loop.

How to Fix It

Ensure Let's Encrypt SSL is active on your BiHostNet cPanel.
Log in to Cloudflare dashboard and go to SSL/TLS > Overview.
Change the mode from Flexible to Full or Full (Strict).
Purge Cloudflare cache; the redirect loop will be resolved immediately.

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